Customer Reviews

March Of The Falsettos (1981 Original Off-Broadway Cast) / Falsettoland (1990 Off-Off-Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was introduced to "Falsettos" (the combination of "March of the Falsettos" and "Falsettoland") when a friend mentioned its similarity in themes to RENT. I was curious and found this double disc while browsing through CDs. After purchasing it and listening to it, I found that I got the same feeling that I got after watching RENT for the first time... A strange emotion which isn't exactly catharsis, but a mix of joy, sadness, and the desire to change things in one's life...

I have never felt for characters like I have in "Falsettos". Each character is extremely complex and realistic. William Finn and James Lapine have crafted "a tight-knit family" that is likeable, comical, and loving. I think it was Frank Rich who wrote an article saying that "Falsettos" was the only show on Broadway that was a show about family values.

Indeed, "Falsettos" is a show that celebrates family values. More conservative people may disagree. After all, this is a musical about a married man, Marvin, who leaves his wife and son for a male lover, Whizzer. And yet, Marvin still longs for a family, and, in the last scene, one feels that he has achieved this goal. Everyone: Marvin, Trina, Jason, Mendel, Whizzer, and the "two lesbians from next door", Dr. Charlotte and Cordelia, gather together in one room, celebrating Jason's bar mitzvah, and mourning for the dying Whizzer. In that scene, there is one great family, a family which loves and "harmonizes".

William Finn's music may take some getting used to. However, the score is more complex and intelligent than most musicals out there. Finn has a very original style, though the lyrics and song patterns are similar to songs like "Light My Candle" and "Goodbye Love" from RENT. Great and memorable numbers about in "Falsettos" mainly: "4 Jews In A Room Bitching", "A Marriage Proposal", "A Tight Knit Family/Love Is Blind/ Thrill of First Love", "The Games I Play", "I Never Wanted To Love You", "Father To Son", "Holding to the Ground", "Everybody Hates His Parents", "A Day In Falsettoland", "You Gotta Die Sometime", "What More Can I Say", and "What Would I Do". Each song is pertinent to the story, developing characters and situations.

Now, years after "Falsettos" appeared on Broadway, it seems like it has been forgotten in the general public. It pains me to think that such a wonderful, touching show will not be remembered. Please, if you are can, buy this CD and listen to it carefully. Don't let "Falsettos" die out; it's much too good for that.

Falsettos is an absolutely phenomenal show with a fantastic CD too have. The double disc set has March of the Falsettos from the early 80's and Falsettoland from early 90's combined to make Falsettos. (I know it's confusing) but originally they were written as separate one acts but Finn and Lapine decided to put them together to create Falsettos. Brilliant idea.

CD one which features a stellar cast such as Stephen Bogardus as Whizzer, Alison Frasier as Trina (so DIVA), and Chip Zien as Mendel (From Into the Woods) to name a few. It tells the story of how Marivn left his wife Trina and 10 year old son Jason, for Whizzer, another man. While trying to cope with the shock Trina falls in love with her psychiatrist, Mendel. Hilarious and fast past Act I. With Tremendous belting by Frasier and Bogardus. Act II CD 2, introduces some new characters and brings back the old.

On CD 2 the adult male characters are portrayed by the same actors as ten years before (CD 1). Trina is now played by Broadway Diva Faith Prince (Guys and Dolls) But the actresses sound so much a like I didn't realize they were different until a few months after I had purchased the CD. Also enter Janet Metz (Joseph...) (a role the Carolee Carmello (Parade) took over) and Heather MacRae as the Lesbian Nieghbors.. Act II begins with Marivn and Whizzer fighting, newlyweds Trina and Mendel, and a confused 13 year old Jason. Whizzer becomes suddenly ill, an illness which is dumbfounding all the doctors (HIV), even his friend Doctor Charlette (MacRae). His illness brings the whole gang together again. Act 2 is brilliant. Lots of love songs and songs of torment and distress. "Unlikely Lovers" "You Gotta Die Sometime" "Holding To The Ground" "What More Can I Say?" "What Would I Do?" Extremely beautiful and heartfelt. Brilliantly displayed on this CD. You MUST buy this CD. Anyone with a heart and a good sense of Musical Theatre should have this in their collection.

And for you DIEHARD Falsettos fans out there you must know that March of Falsettos and Falsettoland are part 2 and 3 of a trilogy. The first is IN TROUSERS. With Marvin (This time played by Chip Zion), Trina (Alison Fraser), His High School Sweatheart, and Teacher (Mary Testa). It's hilarious! The Cd is hard to find but available. Also as a real treat, the Falsettos showstopper "I'm Breaking Down" which is not on Falsettos CD IS on the TROUSERS CD, sung to schizo perfection by Fraser. Once again you won't be disappointed! :)

A man -- a vortex of vanity and insecurity -- leaves his wife for a male lover. In his selfishness, he expects his family to stay "together." It doesn't. At least not in the way he expected. Instead, the family unit breaks apart, only to come together again in different alignment, and most certainly in the face of AIDS and death and a growing sense of love and respect. This show is the musical comedy equivalent of ANGELS IN AMERICA -- lighter, funnier, but no less political or heart rending. If you want entertainment with a bite, songs that advance characters, and musical theater that makes you do more than hum the songs, THIS is a show you should hear. The two little musicals were written and performed about 10 years apart, and you can see how the composer matured in that time. But they work together, and they work in your heart and in your mind. Buy this. Listen. Learn.

This musical, even more powerful in its new combined format is one of my favorites. "March of the Falsettos" was a classic, and who knew that there could be as strong a continuation as "Falsettoland" on the horizon. Listen to them both, as they are now being performed. I still cannot get through "What More Can I Say" dry-eyed. From that point to the end, enjoy the ride, and get your kleenex ready. Can a musical get more closer to real life and real emotions? Sorry, "Rent" lovers. This is the winner.

These two shows are essentially character and relationship studies told through song. There is little plot other than the establishment of four or five key characters. The music is wonderful, but the lyrics are amazing. They are so dense with wit and pathos that I think attending this show live without the libretto you would miss much of what was packed in those lyrics. Sitting in my living room with the (very small print) libretto was a fantatastic experience. While some have said the second show, Falsettoland, is a bit weaker, from a musical perspective I think it is stronger with several outstanding melodies. These are not musicals to play as background music. If you like setting aside an hour and sitting down and and having a completely involving musical experience, buy this.

Ever since I recently purchased this CD, this has become my favorite musical theatre piece ever. William Finn's work is an undiscovered gem (by me, at least!) that deserves all the publicity in the world. If you are a musical theatre fan and have a very open mind, you just have to buy this CD and give it a chance. I think this will especially appeal to Sondheim fans, as they seem to write a little similarly. the melodies are BEAUTIFUL and ingeniously crafted, the lyrics seem carefully handpicked, witty, and genious, and the wacky story line is hilarious at first, and then subdues itself into a more somber touching piece in falsettoland. every actor/actress in this cast is phenomenal! alison fraser is amazing!! just get the CD! please!

How can I tell you how much I adore this musical? It's impossible to put into words how delightful this musical REALLY is! All the lyrics are tinted with a certain taste of raw emotion, sarcasm, wit, irony, and many devices blatantly lacking in some of the Thoroughly Mediocre productions we now have currently playing in theatres everywhere. Young musical writers should look to ingenious Mr. Finn for how to write a great musical. A friend once told me not to buy this saying... "Oh, It's really only for homosexuals." As a straight man, I can't comprehend this! It's such a movie musical... both the story of Jason and his father, and the sorrowful tale of the loss of Whizzer. This musical (two in one actually...) has everything a musical should have: a steady and believable plot, unforgettable characters, humor, pathos, catchy yet intelligent music, and heart.

These two works are some of the best work written for the American musical stage in the past thirty years, and absolutely are worth listening to again and again. Of the two, "March of the Falsettos" fares better overall than "Falsettoland": the latter has its moments, but is fairly sentimental (although understandably so given the subject matter), and the character of Trina vanishes somewhat from the foreground. But the whole thing is still a joy: the lyrics are almost painfully witty, and the whole thing is filled with tremendous zest and spark.

The cast is terrific, and all the adult male actors have become almost forever associated with their superb performances here. The two Trinas, Alison Frasier and Faith Prince, are quite different, although both are absolutely wonderful in their own fashion: Prince is particularly hilarious in "Year of the Child," and Frasier almost steals "March" from the rest of the cast (which is no small feat). Just listen to the latter on the marvelous little intro to "Please Come to Our House" to see how remarkable this actress can be.

Take a boy, his father, his father's male lover, his mother, his psychiatrist (who has the hots for his mother), the lesbians from next door, mix well, and you have March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland.

March of the Falsettos has the cast coming to grips with the new family situation when the father moves in with his male lover. The music, though bouncy and catchy, reflects their frustrations--you can hear the tension when the parents beg their son to see a psychiatrist, or when the son sings, "My Father's a Homo."

Falsettoland continues where March of the Falsettos left off, everyone is now (relatively) well-adjusted, but soon AIDS enters their world. The songs are touching, but always with a trace of humor. I'm still not able to listen to the whole CD dry-eyed.

A few perceptive critics sang the praises of William Finn when MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS opened in 1981. Ten years later the sequel, FALSETTOLAND came along winning more praise for teh composer (and truth be told, his musical talends seem to have developed a lot in those intervening years.) DRG recorded both shows with their off-Broadway casts, and repackaged them in this 2 CD set when the revised Broadway production, FALSETTOS opened to rave reviews in 1992.

These Cds do not fully represent FALSETTOS. There were quite a few lyric changes in the first part (MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS) and the song "I'm Breaking Down" from IN TROUSERS was added. Still, the cast on this set is about as perfect as one could wish for, and DRG offers all the lyrics in the booklet to follow along.

Not all the music is pretty. Some is quite hard to take at times. But it all works in telling a unique story. And the show has not been forgotten: it still gets staged by community theatre groups regularly. It's a shame some people shy away from this one feeling it is a show for "gay" audiences only. It's not. The themes (Live, love, death and other unscheduled events) are universal. You don't have to be gay or jewish to appreciate this wonderful show.